Did you know that I don’t make breakfast anymore? Actually I don’t make breakfast or lunch for my kids. Now before you get all upset, you need to realize that my “kids” at home are 14 and 20. They are quite capable of making their own lunch and breakfast. But I am a little concerned by my 14 year old son. He is clinging to the same breakfast and lunch everyday and I want him to have more ideas in his repertoire. We are going to have some teen cooking lessons going on here in November. This will be an adventure as he’s not so excited about the whole concept of learning to cook.
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Why is it important to teach teens to cook?
Because they like to EAT! Handing responsibility to my kids as soon as they are capable is so awesome. This allows me to cheer them on as they grow and become more mature as they handle the “stuff’ of being a grown up. Life is hard and the more tools we give our children the more prepared they will be for when they have more on their plate.
Did you know I have a whole series about this topic? Interested? All kids (and some adults) need these lessons!!!!!
Go check out the Real Life Lessons series and use these lessons to challenge your teen or yourself!
New skills and meals to learn in November
I have a different situation in my house that most people. My 20 year old has Celiac disease (cannot have wheat) plus Fibromyalgia.
That means we don’t do a lot of meals that include wheat or sugar (it causes inflamation and pain for her) but I want my son to know how to bake and make recipes with wheat.
Plus he loves cookies, bread and all sorts of baked goods so it’s a good motivator to get him in the kitchen. One of his favorites are these low fat sugar free Spice Muffins so that will be going on our list to make!
How we are doing teen cooking lessons
How to entice a boy who doesn't want to be in the kitchen to learn to cook? Make it FUN! Sure I could just have him work alongside me but that doesn't seem to be drawing him in so we are goingto do "class" for a few weeks. Structure is good for both of us!
One of my favorite bloggers, Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has 2 "cooking classes" that would work teach to my son. Teaching Your Kids to Cook is for younger children(2-12) and I think is a great way to involve kids naturally in the kitchen but gives Mom (or grandma or whoeveer) some guidance on what works with various ages. The other class Learn to Cook covers kitchen basics and creating simple recipes that use whole foods. Additional topics include kitchen appliances, clean up(love that one), menu planning and grocery budgeting give a real picture of how to get comfortable in the kitchen! This is geared more to teens and adults and could be worked through with supervision by older kids.(affiliate)
I love that the price on these "classes" are so reasonable!! Learn to Cook is only $8 and you can get both books for $9.99!!!! Go check it out now if you are wanting your kids more comfortable and capable in the kitchen!
So we are giving Learn to Cook a try this month and I will be highlighting our successes and failures on the Day to Day FB page and on Instagram in November!
Be sure to follow us on social media to see our cooking adventures!
November Goals
I love real life lessons in our homeschool. The WHY is easy to give if my kids ask. I also find that the real life lessons tend to be more fun, messy and I don't need to motivate my student to do them.
Hmmmm I wonder why. Make cookies or do Algebra? Yeah it's not hard to understand.
Below are some of the areas where I hope to focus our learning.
Breakfast (check out my Pinterest board on Breakfast!)
- Smoothies
- canned and homemade biscuits
- breakfast cookies
- Spice Muffins
Lunch (we love Mexican can you tell?)
- Chimichangas (we are going to put a bunch of these in the freezer for future meals)
- Brown Bag Chicken Quesidillas (recipe coming next week!)
Supper
I plan to let him choose 1 meal a week to “help” with so he will know several recipes that he can make himself. Mainly I want him to handle meat and know how to cook it without contaminating vegetables or poisoning himself. HA!
Possibilities: Sloppy joes, fried chicken, pork chops
So what do you think? Is a more official "class" on cooking good with teens?
After trying to let it happen naturally by involving my son in the cooking, I've realized that we need more structure and fun to make this happen. If you are in the same boat--check out Learn to Cook!
Need more ideas for getting kids in the kitchen?
Check these great posts out from the Homeschool Blogging Network!
Learning Life Skills in the Kitchen - Monique at Living Life and Learning
Dinner and a Movie: Squanto-A Warrior’s Tale-KT at Lit Mama Homeschool
How to Help Your Sensory Kids Enjoy Holiday Meals - Ginny at Not So Formulaic
